


Rightful heir

by Sh1k4r1



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode Ignis Verse 2, M/M, Post-Episode Ignis Verse 2, Starscourge (Final Fantasy XV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21671266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sh1k4r1/pseuds/Sh1k4r1
Summary: This is a gift for my friend @PikaCheeka. I know it's been a while, but I promised I'd write you some Ardnis piece someday and here it is! It's nothing great, but I hope you'll still enjoy it.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	Rightful heir

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PikaCheeka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PikaCheeka/gifts).



Sometimes you reach a point in life when you need a change. It's something visceral, a feral impulse you can neither resist nor even control. The reason behind this selfish urge may vary, but commonly some utter dissatisfaction with one's life is at its core.

For many years Ignis voted his life to Noctis. Since his childhood all he did was to fulfill his duties as _royal advisor_ , be it by studying with the best private tutors every single field a King might ever need guidance about, or by undergoing intense physical training to be able to protect his prince may some peril occur. Both of these were a part of his job, but Ignis, caring and kindhearted Ignis always had a sweet spot for that miserable prince. More than a retainer he was a friend to him, a brother even. It was Ignis's own choice to do the laundry for that dirty brat; it was by his own will that he decided to learn how to bake Tenebraen delicacies for him. But all Noctis gave him back for that dedication were endless piles of rubbish scattered around the apartment and a never ending disdain for the healthy dishes Ignis prepared him.

His Moody Highness had a thing for videogames, and even there Ignis seconded him, making an account to play that hideous and brain-rotting _King's Knight_ with him. How the prince could waste time on that tedious game he still cannot comprehend. It's unfathomable how Noctis couldn't even spend half an hour of his life reading some heavily sugar-coated papers for his country's sake, yet he could focus grinding on that monotonous game for endless hours without a flinch.

Ignis cared for Noctis like a brother, he'd advise him and help him, and never hold a grudge when he ignored all of his suggestions. He'd just pick up the prince's sweaty clothes abandoned on the floor after training, clean up the filthy place and prepare yet another gourmet-tier dinner the prince would turn his nose at because it contained traces of bloody asparagus.

Ignis was patient, he worked hard for years and all he wanted back was a rare smile coming from the sulky prince, which he then would treasure as his most prized reward.

But then Ignis met Ardyn and everything changed.

Ardyn was finely educated; in fact he hadn't had such exquisite discussions with someone since his academic years. Charming and eloquent, and with a nonchalant elegance Noctis could only dream of, Ardyn was the companion he always, secretly wished for.

They had only few occasions to exchange some words, and all of them were remarkable, leaving an indelible impression on Ignis's heart. While talking with Ardyn he felt appreciated in a manner that had never occurred before; the man could grasp the references and subtle humor in his speech, laughing and encouraging his wit, that long had been rotting in that infernal roadtrip at the side of three brutes. Ardyn would appreciate his sleek appearance, complimenting him for his still impeccably-ironed suit in the middle of the forest at Steyiff Grove, or comparing his eye color to the Cygillan waters in Galdin Quay.

For years Ignis had induced himself to believe he truly didn't care how Noctis mistreated him, regarding him as if he was his butler instead of a high-end political advisor. But then Ardyn came into his life and helped him open his eyes.

  


Obviously perfection isn't of this world, and Ignis was far too conscious that something terrible is hidden behind Ardyn's mesmerizing persona. Yet, he decided to disdain the signs and indulge himself with the man's pleasant presence, his choice of course not out of naiveness, because brilliant Ignis could never be naive, but due to a conscious inebriation to the risk he had never experienced in life before. Once you taste the pure sweetness of praise and gratification, it's hard to give them up.

When Ardyn's identity as the Chancellor of Niflheim was unveiled, Ignis could feel nothing but relief; deep within he knew man's true secrets were far more gruesome than his mere political involvement, yet the illusion of truth lured him into lowering his defenses.

When Ardyn asked him for a private talk on the Imperial ship on the way back from the Disc of Cauthess, the young man eagerly accepted. Those ended up the best two hours of political meeting he had ever experienced, all enriched by luxurious sex and delicious promises.

Ignis fell desperately in love with Ardyn, but that never meant he could ever forsake his kingdom, the one and only he was sworn to serve.

He escorted Noctis to Altissia, where he had to sorely witness his dry indifference towards the enthralling beauty of the Capital of the Cascades. It pained him how a literate and refined woman such as the Oracle Lunafreya had to bear the weight of betrothal to the charmless prince. And it pained him how the Lucian heir embarrassed the whole Kingdom with his poor manners in front of Minister Camelia Claustra; if he didn't have some excruciatingly clear memories about wasting endless hours trying to instruct him on how political meeting were supposed to be held, he'd bet his glasses nobody had ever educated him on the matter. The prince was subtly rude with his casual attitude, his body language completely inappropriate. He didn't even bother to change into a suit for the formal discussion, and while some other men like the Chancellor would look spotless even wearing some eccentric high-fashion ensemble, the prince's fatigues didn't do any good for him. In fact, the cropped trousers made him look like some overgrown and poorly behaved child.

  


Deep inside Ignis knew there was something twisted and dreadful behind Ardyn'd brilliant façade, and the proof came to him after the summoning of Leviathan, when he found both his prince and the Oracle laying senseless. He tried to protect them, his duty as a Lucian Crownsguard overpassing his desire for the Chancellor, but then, overcome by the man's superior strength he was given a choice: keep fighting, and possibly die, or following him to Gralea to discover the truth. And his lust for knowledge won.

Ardyn told him everything he always craved for, unleashing some obscure and ancient knowledge that had for centuries been erased from the Kingdom's history. Tales of a dark period, when the miasma tainted the land and two brothers were chosen by the Gods to bring back the light. A story of envy and betrayal that condemned Ardyn to become the Accursed, rejected by the gods and stabbed by his own brother.

As it came out, all Ignis was taught to believe in was a lie; the Gods were just capricious beings that only took pleasure at torturing humans, and the Founder King, the Mystic, _Somnus_ was just a vicious traitor who deemed his own blood's dismal because of his greed for power. The lineage he served all of his life was born from an impostor.

  


"Your Majesty," Ignis bows to the man in front of him, his heart skipping a beat. He's regal, and he looks like he truly belongs to the finely decorated throne he's sitting on, the golden details complimenting his complexion and burgundy hair. Even after eleven years of darkness the Citadel is still magnificent. 


End file.
